Intermittent transmission



March-4', 1947. Y E CHANDLER 2,416,739

i INTERMITTENT TRANSMISSION Filed oct. 16, 194s l N VEN TOR. {DIVA/@0 F CHA/voli? Patented Mar. 4, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE INTERMITTENT TRANSMISSION Edward Chandler, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application October 16, 1943,. Serial N0. 506,617

(Cl. 'f4-118)` 1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in movement transmissions, and has for an object the provision of novel means for transmitting movement from a driving element to a drivenv element, such as driving and driven shafts, respectively, wherein the speed of the driven element is made' variable without altering the speed of the driving element, the variation in speed being accomplished during movement of the several elements, and Without the necessity of stopping either the'driving or the driven element while the speed adjustment is being made.

The device of the present invention employs one or more intermittent driven elements, such as ratchet wheels associated with the driven shaft, and pawl driving means for each ratchet wheel associated with the driving element. Each pawl driving means has an oscillating or reciprocating movement imparted by the driving element, and in its forward or driving stroke, it engages one of the teeth of the ratchet Wheel, imparting a partial rotation thereto, depending, of course, upon the length. of the stroke. During the non-driving or return stroke, it idles over the teeth to .pick up a new set of teeth for the next driving stroke, and if two of such pawls and vratchet wheels are used, the second pawl may impart rotation during the return stroke of the .first pawl.

One of the particular improvements constituting the present invention resides. in the provision of Cam means for disengaging the pawl from, or preventing engagement of the pavvl with,

the teeth of the ratchet Wheel during a portion of the driving stroke. i The cam means preferably have a conveXly curved cam surface, and for convenience may be mounted on the driven shaft and be free to rotate thereon. A lateral extension of the pawl may engage the cam surface during a desired portion of the driving stroke, and during the non-cam-engaging portion of the driving stroke, thus imparting intermittent movement to the ratchet wheel and driven shaft. Suitable means may be employed for rotating the cam to a desired portion to increase orv reduce the angularv increment imparted to the ratchet wheel on each driving stroke. These means may be manually controlled, or they may bev motor driven and controlled from a remote point.`

It will be apparent from the foregoing general discussion of the invention that embodiments thereof vmay have a variety of uses, such as a feeding mechanism used in connection with reparticularly as compared with existing variable speed transmission meansof the friction type.

` In the drawing:

Fig. l is a' top plan view of an embodiment of thev present invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof, a portionof one fram-eelement being broken away to show certain details of operation.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is a transverse, diagonal section taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a transverse, vertical section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

The embodimentv of the present invention illustrated in the drawing may include a pair of spaced, generally rectangular, frame elements il) and H which are maintained in this spaced relationship by means of a plurality of spacer bushings IZ, the frame elements being held together by meansv of bolts i3, or by any other equivalent means. A crank shaft it constituting the driving shaft is rotated by an electric motor or any other suitable prime mover (not shown), and may be suitably carried by, or associated with, the'frame. The crank shaft illustrated is of two throws, andv includes crank portions l5, l5 and il, and crank pins i3 and i9. The invention is not, however, limited to a two-throw crank shaft, since, as will be pointed outhereinafter, such crank shaft may have any desired number of throws. The vcrank shaft may be journalled in bearing bushings 2b mounted in frame elements lil and Il. Any suitable bearing elements, such as ball bearings, or otherwise, may be employed for this purpose. f

The driven shaft 25 is also journalled in the opposed frame members, and may be mounted in bearing bushings 26', This shaft carries a pluralityvof spaced ratchet wheels 21 and 28 which are keyed thereto. Also carried on this shaft, but free to rotate thereon, are a plurality of pawl levers 33 and 3l which are formed at their outer ends with slots .322 and t3, respective1y,which are radially disposed, relative tothe axis of shaft 25, and which receive crank pins I8 and [9, respec`` tively. It will thus be seen that rotation of drive ing shaft i t produces oscillating moi/ementv in the pawl levers 30 and 3|. Each pawlleve carries a pawl 34 which is pivotally mounted thereon at 35, the pawl being urged into contactfwith thev driven shaft for each revolution of the driving shaft.A Y Y By increasing or decreasing the length of the throws of the crank shaft, rotation more or less than 45 is imparted to the driven shaft 25 for each oscillation of a pawl lever. Drive shaft I4 could be rotated in either direction, but in carrying outV the purposes of the present invention, it is important that this shaft rotate in the direction indicated by the arrows in Figs. 2 and 3, for

Ythe reason that by so doing, driving action is imparted by the longest portion of the stroke, and the time lag between successive driving movements of the several pawls, whilesuch pawls are vrotated in the opposite direction over the teeth of the ratchet wheels, exists during the short portion of the stroke.r This aspect is not of importance when the pawls drive the full set of teeth, since in the arrangement shown, when Ysuch is the case, drive is not intermittent but rather is constant, driven shaft 25 being driven at onequarter the speed of driving shaft I4. i

Each paw] 3d is provided with a lateral extension 4D which engages the upper surface of a cam lli which is mounted on shaft -25 and is free to rotate thereon. There is'provided one of such cams for each pawl. The cams are rotated to any desired position by meansV of a sector-shaped gear i2 having teeth t3, which gear is positioned between the two cams and is secured thereto. Gear 2 is rotated by means of a worm 44 mounted on a shaft i5 which is journalled at 66 and 41. The shaft may be rotated by means of a knurled head d3 on. the shaft, or it may be rotated by a motor controlled from a remote point or otherwise.

In Fig. 3, the cams 4l have been rotated to substantially their maximum counter-clockwise position, in which position the lateral extensions 40 of the pawls 34% retain the pawls in elevated position for the major portion of their operating stroke, and accordingly, each oscillation of the paivl levers E@ and 3l producesrotation in the driven shaft equal to substantially the angular lead of only one tooth-of the ratchet. When,

' however, the cams are rotated to their maximum clockwise position, no portion of such cams is engaged by the pawl extensions, and accordingly, each oscillation of the pawl leverV produces the maximum drive in the driven shaft. In order to prevent opposite rotation of the driven means while the pawls ride over the teeth on rthe return stroke, a stop pawl Eil pivoted at 5l may engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel.

V"Ihe means whereby the driving element imparts oscillating or reciprocating movement to the one or more pawl driving elements is, of course, a matter of choice, and the invention, of course,` is not limited to the pawl levers 30 and 3l freely mounted on vthe driven shaft, since any suitable crank means may be provided, or other-V wise, all as is well known in the art. In the arrangement illustrated, the variable cam elements lil are adapted to prevent engagement of the pawls with the teeth for any desired portion of the latter part of the driving stroke of such pawls. If desired, of course, the. disengagement could occur at any desired portion of the first part of the driving stroke, or an intermediate part as Well.

While I have herein shown and described one form Vor embodiment of my invention for illustrative purposes, and have disclosed and discussed in vdetail the construction and arrangement incidental to av specific application thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is limited neither to the mere details or relative arrangement of parts, nor to its specific embodiment shown herein, but that extensive deviations from the Aillustrated form or embodiment of the invention may be made without departing from the principles thereof.

What I claim is:

A movement Ytransmission device including, in combination, a driving element comprising a multiple-throw crankshaft, a driven shaft, a pair of spaced frame members providing journals for such shafts, a plurality of ratchet wheels carried by and keyed to the driven shaft, aV plurality of pawl levers freely journalled at one end thereofV on said driven shaft, such levers having slots extending inwardly from .their opposite ends which receive the throws ofthe crankshaft, 'a springpressed pawl carried Aby each pawl lever which engages one ratchet wheel, a detent engaging the rotated by the worm to effect fine adjustment of the cam elements. Y Y

EDWARD F. CHANDLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

French July 26, 1922 

